Amor and Middleton relishing Rio sevens challenge

Simon Amor and Simon Middleton will have the chance to reap the rewards of their hard work after being appointed as Great Britain’s sevens head coaches for next summer’s Olympics.

Amor has been in charge of England men’s sevens for two seasons and a fourth-place finish at the World Series for his troops secured a berth for Great Britain in Rio.

He will be assisted by Wales head coach Gareth Williams and admits the chance to lead GB is a challenge he is relishing.

“I am incredibly honoured and privileged to be appointed as head coach of the GB Sevens team,” he said.

“It will be a massive challenge but a huge opportunity. However with a lot of effort, common sense and working together across the unions we can get a team ready that can be very successful next year in Rio.

“It is great to have Gareth alongside me. He has seven years’ experience behind him on the world series and he was assistant coach for Wales when they won the World Cup Sevens.

“I will, along with Gareth, meet the players and coaches from the other home nations. But the priority is to understand where we can get this Great Britain team preparing and playing in competition which is critical.”

Middleton’s England women’s team were also charged with securing a Rio spot for Great Britain and he says he is delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the sport to the world.

“It was fantastic to be play a part in the qualification and then to get the job as well, I am thrilled,” said Middleton.

“It is everyone’s ambition as a sports person to be involved in an Olympics Games so to be here now it is so exciting.

“To have rugby sevens in the Olympics is absolutely phenomenal for the women’s game.

“It will be such a showcase for us and particularly after a successful period winning the Women’s